I remember when I was a kid and my mom made something for me I didn’t like (which wasn’t very often), I wouldn’t be given something else. Even if liver and onions were on the menu!! And ya, I can still remember that disgusting smell. On the other hand, if my brother didn’t like it, he would just stuff it behind the fridge in secret like he did for most of his veggies where they laid to rest and rot (true story, LOL).
The options for my brother and I were: eat what was made for us or don’t eat.
It may seem harsh, but it was effective. Everything else Ma McCarthy made was amazing by the way, except for liver (barfarama).
Now that I’m a parent, I really appreciate this (not what my brother did, but rather what my mom did NOT do) because I really can’t imagine making a separate dinner for Vienna each time she doesn’t like what we are eating.
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This is why I love the fact that this recipe feeds both her and Walker and I – and everyone loves it! Now of course there are meals that Vienna isn’t a fan of or that she’s just not ready to eat (for example, spicy Indian food, which of course, I adore!) but I’ve found that she just needs to try something a couple of times before she likes it, especially if it’s a new flavour.
The recipe I’m sharing with you today is from a wonderful cookbook by Leah Garrad-Cole called It All Begins with Food!
I’m proud to share that I wrote the forward for her book, so I’ve had the chance to make many of her recipes and thoroughly review it. I really love the philosophy behind her book – eat real food, whole food, healthy food, darn tasty food!
These little loaves from her book are called “Not Your Mama’s Meatloaf”. If you grew up feeling forced to eat your mama’s meatloaf, don’t worry, you’ll have no trouble eating this one! The only change I made was instead of ground beef, I used ground organic chicken.
These mini meatloaves have such a wonderful combination of flavours from cloves to ginger to basil. They are nice, moist and they are so damn tasty, it’s hard not to eat 10 of them 🙂
If you’re feeding little ones who don’t have a lot of teeth, these meatloaves are nice and soft making it easy for the young ones to eat it too – the perfect size for finger food!
Here’s the recipe:
Recipe not found.
As I mentioned in the recipe, I often double the ingredients for the glaze because it’s so darn tasty!!
Be sure to check out my instagram because you can win a copy of my book and Leah’s book until this Friday November 10th, 2017– good luck!!
When I make this recipe I normally serve it with some rosemary sweet potato wedges and my kale salad with creamy dressing. Both of which everyone in the McJordan family LOVES!
Have a great rest of your week!
Joy xo
42 thoughts on “Not Your Mama’s Meatloaf”
This looks delicious! And I definitely want to check out this cookbook! Do you have a recommendation for substituting almond meal? We have an allergy in my family.
What is almond meal? Like almond flour?
You could use brown rice flour. Enjoy!
Yes exactly. Sometimes it will be called ground almonds, almond meal or almond flour on a package but it’s all the same thing 🙂
Thanks Joy for this recipe! Wondering if I could use a regular size muffin pan instead of the minis?
Hey Carly, Yes – definitely! It will just make less loaves but that’s totally okay 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Joy, this recipe looks delish! If I omitted the tamari do you think it would taste ok?! Does tamari give it a tangy flavour?
Hi Joy! Love your recipes. Question…I try to avoid soy products. Would using coconut aminos in place of tamari be okay?
The tiny cupcake tin is a great idea for meatloaf!
Isn’t it?! Makes for easy portable snacks, lunches or dinners 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Hey Katie, Yes, definitely! If you’re using organic fermented tamari, that would typically be okay too because it’s easier to break down 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Hey Sabrina, That’s perfectly fine! It gives it more of an asian-inspired flavour but very subtly. It will likely taste like your traditional meatloaf if you leave out the tamari 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
OMG it just became my favorite meatloaf ever!! I was never a big fan of this America’s favorite, so I needed to try a new version and TADAH perfect!! I wish I could send you a picture… fyi, I used the ginger only on the glaze and worked fine!
Glad you love it! Share a photo with me on instagram! @Joyoushealth Can’t wait to see what you created 🙂 Enjoy!!
If I wanted to make these school safe (nut-free) would I be able to sub the almond meal for chickpea flour? Love the mini versions of these!
Hey Ludivine, Yes that should work! We haven’t tried it so we wouldn’t be able to guarantee results but let us know if you end up trying it 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Would this recipe work with a flax egg?
Hey Jenny! Yes, it should be fine 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Do you have any recommendations for substituting ground chicken? Would a veggie ground round work? Thanks so much!
Can I use ground flaxseeds or whole chia seeds instead of flaxseeds?
Would crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce work instead of paste?
Hey Jessica, Tomato sauce should work! It may just be a bit more watery and not as thick as the original recipe! Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Hi Joy! Merry Christmas to you and the family! I have a question about not your mama’s meat loaf meat balls. What if you cannot eat any nuts like almonds or soy like Tamari? How can I replace them?
Thank you.
Hey Sylvia, You can use brown rice flour instead and use coconut aminos instead of tamari 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
I just made this for dinner this evening. I am NOT a fan of meatloaf. As a kid I’d always ask “what’s for dinner?” and if the answer was meatloaf I’d hide. No word of a lie. I was reluctant to make these but the title gave me hope. You weren’t kidding!! These are FANTASTIC!!! Not my mama’s meatloaf. At all! I’m hooked. I just gobbled up nearly half of them. (sorry Boyfriend, make your own dinner!) Your recipes are out of this world. Keep ’em coming! xo
YAY! So happy to hear that Janine! Aren’t they awesome?! We love them around here too and I’ve personally made them about 5X since they were posted. The glaze really makes it and all of the ingredients in the meat loafs/balls itself. Yum yum! Haha poor boyfriend – maybe he’ll get some next time 😉 Thanks for the kind words Janine! Rachel – Joyous Health Team
hello, would one have to increase the baking time?
Sorry, silly question but is it whole flaxseeds or ground flaxseeds?
Hey Marlene! Not a silly question at all. The flaxseeds in this recipe are ground 🙂 Sorry, we’ll make sure to specify that! Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Hey Marlene, You shouldn’t have to extend the baking time. What’s stated on the recipe should work for you but just keep an eye on it 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Just purchased your Joyous Detox book looks very good. I will be purchase some equipment ( food processor/blender) then clean out the cupboards then begin purchasing the foods I should be eating. I noticed you have recipes with chicken but no beef or pork not that I eat much of those 2 items. What would the reasons be behind eliminating beef and pork (additives?).
Hey James, Awesome! Thanks so much for picking it up 🙂 I really think you’re going to enjoy it! Joy doesn’t have anything against beef and pork, her and her family just don’t eat too much of it and the book is very much a reflection of the way she eats. When she does have either beef or pork, she makes sure it’s a high-quality source so if you want to incorporate it from time to time, she would recommend to do the same 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
thank you … that’s all, just thank you, for sharing all that you have learn to help us get healthy as well. You have a delightful blog and you are making such a difference to my heart and health.
So happy you’re enjoying all things Joyous Health, Jayne! Thanks for stopping by here 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
I finally got around to trying this recipe. I hate meatloaf but my daughter loves it so it’s a very touchy subject in our house. I LOVE this recipe!! Now when my daughter wants meatloaf for supper I won’t complain so much!
YAY! We’re so happy you enjoyed it Sarah! That makes us super happy to hear that, especially since it won your daughter’s heart over! 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Just made them with chickpea flour after making them a bunch with almond flour,I can’t tell the difference! 😁
Good to know!! Thanks for sharing and glad you love them. They are super yummy!
Best meatloaf ever!! I used beef instead of chicken though as that is all I had on hand. So good! A keeper recipe. Thank you!
Glad you loved it! Good swap with the chicken, it’s just as yummy.
Can I cook this in the slow cooker so the meatballs come out soft? I would like to serve it to my 15 month old. Thank you x
Yes for sure! Enjoy!